Bomb-throwing device



July 29, 1924.

0. WILCKE BOMB 'rrmowme nsvzcz Filed June 28, 1920 INVENT0R= can.

Patented July 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR WILCKE, OF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM LUFT- SCHIFFBAU ZEPPELIN GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESGHRANKTER- HAFTUNG, OF FRIED- RICHSHAFEN, GERMANY.

BOMB-THROWING DEVICE.

Application filed June 28, 1920. Serial- No. 392,5772

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 8, 1921, 41 STAT. 13., 1313.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR WILCKE, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Friedrichshafen a/B., Germany, have in- 6 vented certain new and useful Improvements in Bomb-Throwing Devices (for which I have filed an application in Germany July 31, 1915, Patent No. 300,186), of

which the following isa specification.

My invention refers to a device for throwing bombs from flying machines, in which a system of levers on one side holds the bomb which is to be thrown while its other side is supported by the armature of an electro-magnet so that, when the coil is excited, the supporting face of the armature is turned aside and the lever system in tiltin over drops the bomb.

ormerly after throwing ofl the bomb the separate levers had to be brought back into position so that their supporting faces sat right and the system was supported again by the armature of the electro-magnet.

These preparations for another throw were troublesome and required special care and ability, all the more if the apparatus was squeezed into a narrow space. Especially during cold weather it 'was very difficult to set the bomb-throwing apparatus.

This disadvantage is avoided by the present invention inasmuch as the supporting of the lever system necessary for throwing the next bomb is done automatically.

The object of my invention is a device of 3 the kind described above, in which the en ergy of motion dealt by the weight of the bomb to the released lever system is employed for bracing a return spring or any other appliance for pulling it homewhich, 4 after the throw is finished, brings home the lever system into the supported position suitable for charging another bomb. For this purpose preferably several auxiliary appliances should be employed to ensure the working together of the individual parts,

e. g. a movement of the supporting lever accelerated by the return spring is stopped so that it invariably remains in true position relatively to the lever working together with it. Furthermore the releasing of the return spring can be arrested by an automatic lock- Boss 6 of lever 5 bearing the load turns upon the stationary pin 7. The short arm of this lever has the form of a hook 8 in which the bomb 9 is inserted. By a bolt 10 pressed down by a spring, which must be pressed while inserting the bomb, the latter is safeguarded against sliding off the hook on account of its inclined position or violent motion. On a stationary pin 11 the intermediate lever 12 turns. It has the shape of an angular lever, and against its short arm 13 there rests the long arm of the carrier lever 14 fitted with the support face 15. The long arm of the intermediate lever 12 is held by its bar 16 underneath the short arm 17 of the supporting lever 18, whose end 19 rests upon the supporting face 20 of the armature 21 fitted with a hole 50. The supporting lever 18 turns upon the stationary pin 22 and is surrounded by bar 24 belonging to the tail end 23 of the intermediate lever. The armature 21 turns about the stationary pin 25 and is pressed against stop pin 27 by spring 26 in such a manner that the plate 28 is normally pulled off the coil 29.

On intermediate lever 12 an eye 30 is arranged, in which the tension spring 31 is inserted. The other end of the tension spring is fixed at 32. Moreover'a pin 33 is inserted in the intermediate lever. Below this pin the pawl lever 35 is arranged turning upon the stationary pin 34, which has a pawl 36, whose edge facing the centre pin is made slanting while the other side turns down sharply. This pawl lever is pulled by a spring 37 against the stop 38, which by means of a knob and, an oblique slit in a sleeve can be arrested in upper or lower position.

The intermediate lever is made of spring steel, and by cutting out piece 39 a tongue 40 .an impact.

is formed which, when the lever swings to the left, hits against pin 6 of the carrier lever and thus prevents the lever from swinging too far, but does not hurt it by too sharp Above an arm 41 fastened on the intermediate lever a tube 42 is arranged (of. Figs. 2 and 3), which turns on the stationary pin 43 and is pressed against arm 41 by tension spring 44. It is filled with mercury up to about the middle, which when in horizontal position, connects electrically the contacts 46, 47 belonging to the circuit of the signal lamp 45, but interrupts the circuit whenever the tube slants.

A battery 48 feeds simultaneously the magnetic coil 29 through a switch 49 and the signal lamp 45.

Assuming the pawl lever 35 to be kept out of reach of pin 33 by stop 38 being in its lower position the apparatus acts as described in the following:

If the lever system is supported as shown in the drawing, then the bomb can be inserted. It pulls the long arm 14 of the carrier lever in the direction of the arrow against the short arm 13 of the intermediate lever, so that the pressure bar 16 arranged at the long arm of the intermediate lever acts upon the short arm 17 of the supporting lever 18 in the direction of the arrow. Consequently the supporting lever 18 is pressed vertically downwards upon the supporting face 20 of armature 21, which is held in the position shown in the drawing by spring 26. The arm 41 holds the mercury tube about straight in this position, so that the signal lamp is alight and thus signals readiness for the throw. As soon as the circuit is shut by switch 49 the electric coil 29 becomes magnetic and attracts the armature 21, so that the supporting face 20 is pulled away from underneath arm 19 of the supporting lever 18. Consqeuently the weight of the bomb turns the carrier lever in the inverse direction to that of the clock hand and arm 14 turns the intermediate lever 12 in the direction of the clock hand. The supporting lever too turns in the direction of the clock. By this movement of the intermediate lever spring 31 is braced and, as soon as the pressure plate of the carrier lever has slipped off pressure plate 13 of the intermediate lever, lever 5 tilts up completely and drops the bomb. At the same time the intermediate lever 12 is released and spring 31 pulls it back, while its pressure bar 16 slides along the lower side of the supporting lever 18 and presses it upwards. Arm 19 of the supporting lever now shoves aside the lower arm of the armature lever until the supporting lever slips into the opening 50 of the armature and leans against the upper rim 51 of this hole. After this only another bomb need be inserted in hook 8 of the carrier lever, whereby the intermediate lever under its load again pulls the supporting lever down upon the pressure face of the armature. Thus the apparatus is automatically rearranged and made ready for another throw but for the inserting of the bomb.

As in throwing the bomb the intermediate lever 12 was flung to. the left with great energy, spring 40 hit against the pin 6 of the carrier lever, so that the oscillation was limited and the impact softened. Besides arm 41 moved downwards, as the intermediate lever swung to the left, so that the contact tube came into a slanting position under the influence of spring 44. Thus the contact 46 (cf. Fig. 3) emerges from the mercury and the signalling lamp signals the finished throw by being extinguished.

When the pawl lever has been brought back into its upper position by pulling back stop 38, pin 33 during the movement of the intermediate lever to the left presses down the pawl 36 and is arrested, so that the intermediate lever is held fast by the braced spring 31. In order to cook again the lever system and to make it ready for another throw, at any time, the pawl lever 35 may be pushed down so that spring 31 comes into action.

I claim:

1. In a device of the kind described in combination, a bomb carrying lever, means for holding said lever in operative position, electric means for influencing the operative position of said holding means and resilient means for automatically carrying said holding means back into operative position.

2. In a device of the kind described in combination, a bomb carrying lever, an intermediate lever serving as an abutment for said bomb carrying lever, a catch lever, serving in its operative position as a catch for said intermediate lever, an electromagnet and an armature adapted. to cooperate with said electromagnet and to hold said catch lever in inoperative position, a spring for holding said intermediate lever in engagement with said catch lever and means for energizing said electromagnet.

3. In a device of the kind described in combination, a bomb carrying lever, an intermediate lever, serving as an abutment for said bomb carrying lever, a catch lever serving in its operative position as a catch for said intermediate lever, an electromagnet and an armature adapted to cooperate with said electromagnet and to hold said catch lever in inoperative position, a spring for holding said intermediate lever in engagement with said catch lever, means for energizinp; said electromagnet, electric indicating means and means, adapted to be controlled by one of said levers, for throwing said indicating means out of operation.

4. In a device of the kind described in combination, a bomb carrying lever, an intermediate lever serving as an abutment for said bomb carrying lever, a catch lever serving in its operative position as a catch for said intermediate lever, an abutment on said intermediate lever adapted to ensure correct cooperation of said levers, an electromagnet and an armature adapted to cooperate with said electromagnet and to hold said catch lever in o erative position, a spring for holding said intermediate lever in enga ement with said catch lever and means; or energizing said electromagnet.

5. In a device of the kind described in combination, a bomb carrying lever, means for holding said lever in operative position, electric means for influencing the operative position of said holding .means, resilient means for automatically carrying said hold ing means back into operative osition anc' means, adapted to be controlle at will, f0] arresting said holding means in-their returr into operative position.

6. In a device of the kind described i1 combination, a bomb carrying lever, mean: for holding said lever in operative position electric means for influencing the operative position of said holding means, resilient means for automatically carrying said holding means back into operative ,position, and resilient means for checking the movement of said bomb carrying lever.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature, 

